A human resources expert said on Tuesday that the decline in the latest manpower projection showed that the government’s various talent schemes are effective and employers have changed their approach to recruitment.

This came as the Labour and Welfare Bureau estimated a shortfall of 130,000 workers by 2028, down from an earlier forecast of 180,000.

Roy Ying, co-chair of the advocacy and policy research committee at the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management described it as good news.

He noted that when the initial forecast was conducted two years ago, employers were in a “revenge hiring mode” following the pandemic.

“Now the employers' mentality has changed to a little more pragmatic,” he said.

“They want candidates to be a little more experienced, they can add value to the organisation.”

For university students, Ying highlighted the need for them to gain as much experience as possible to counter the drop in entry-level jobs due to the adoption of AI, adding that a qualification is only an entry ticket.

The number of such jobs dropped drastically by more than 60 percent between 2022 and 2025, according to the government.

“They will really need to upskill themselves, not just earning a diploma or degree. They will need to understand how they can add value to the organisation,” Ying said.

“And the most effective way is obviously through internships, gaining experience. The other way is through entrepreneurship. Because if you have gone through the process of a startup, you basically become a mini CEO.”

Ying said he expected the number of double-degree holders will only surge for a short while amid the rise in demand for composite talents, as AI is more of a skill instead of a degree.

He added the technology will be integrated to all curricula soon.


Edited by Aaron Tam